Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Increases Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 147,288 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,903 shares during the period. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $32,551,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in STZ. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,265,000 after acquiring an additional 876,745 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,144,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,841,048,000 after acquiring an additional 402,211 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 66.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 369,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,762,000 after acquiring an additional 147,457 shares during the period. NFJ Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 617.3% in the 3rd quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC now owns 108,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,929,000 after buying an additional 93,273 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 4,601.2% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 87,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,618,000 after buying an additional 85,904 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STZ opened at $179.23 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $193.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $160.46 and a 52 week high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.19 earnings per share. Constellation Brands’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 12.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STZ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $293.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Argus cut shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Roth Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $254.29.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, imports, markets, and sells beer, wine, and spirits in the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. The company provides beer primarily under the Corona Extra, Corona Familiar, Corona Hard Seltzer, Corona Light, Corona Non-Alcoholic, Corona Premier, Corona Refresca, Modelo Especial, Modelo Chelada, Modelo Negra, Modelo Oro, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.